Healthy soil typically consists of 20 percent clay, 40 percent silt, and 40 percent sand. This should take about 1 hour to set up and a full day to conclude. Find an empty straight-sided jar, such as a peanut butter or mason jar, with a lid, and have a ruler handy. Dig down to ...
Test your soil for a better garden next year. Summer is a good time to evaluate your soil’s health so that any fall amendments can break down over the winter in time for spring planting. Here’s how. You don’t have to dig too deeply to discover the secret of great gardening; it ...
A test is done when you want to know whether your soil is acidic, neutral or alkaline. Why does it matter? Most plants need a fairly neutral soil so they can retrieve all the nutrients from it that they require, but some are more fussy and may want it more acidic or alkaline. By te...
The best time to test soil is from September to December or from February to April, according to theUniversity of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. However, new sites can be tested whenever the soil is workable. Soil should be tested every two to three years. Contact a soil testing lab before ...
Compacted soil is detrimental to water and air circulation. Because of the density ofcompacted soil, grass roots can’t grow as deep and water doesn’t drain as well, which can lead to diseases in the root system. For best practice, have your soil tested every so often to see if your ...
a neutral or low pH level. Soils with a high pH level are considered alkaline. It is best to have the soil tested for acidity before beginning any treatment program. Most local agricultural extension services offer inexpensive kits to test for alkaline soil. If the soil is found to have ...
Basically soil pH is a measure of the amount of lime (calcium) contained in your soil, and as a result, the type of soil that you have. Generally, soils in moist climates tend to be acid and those in dry climates are alkaline. A soil with a pH lower than 7.0 is an acid soil and...
Sunflowers generally grow best in soil type that allows water filtration to naturally occur, but not sandy soil. Sunflowers have very long tap roots and reach deeply into the soil. The best soils are loams with a moderate pH range of 6.5 to 7.5, determined by soil testing. Poor soil pH ...
It's prudent to exercise care when weeding or hoeing near the area where the stem and root ball are buried. Likewise, shallow planting may mean more supplemental water is required. Here are a few more tips: Have the soil tested, and amend or fertilize as recommended. Plant tomato seedlings...
To determine your soil type and fertility, take soil samples from different parts of your yard and have them tested for soil type, organic matter content, pH, and nutrient levels. Soil pH affects a plant’s ability to absorb nutrients. Let the lab know what you will be growing and ask ...